Rock Island daily Argus., 1887-09-17

this final picture, whca suddenly she felt be-
tween her locked fingers cold little hand,
and turning fUunl THAI Suzanne had arisen
from her bed ami that She, too, was watching
Hidden thus behind the piano they did not
lose sight of Laroque al Instant.
All at once, rs if his thoughts were too
dreadful to bear, he rose and began pacing
his room with uncertain, staggering steps.
Often, even, he TOOK hold of something to
keep himself from falling At last he stopped
before the bureau, AMI hid his face in his
hands One would have thought that he
wept Was it remorso.
Then he let his hands fall and reached and
took the revolver, cooked it and held it ready
in his left hand, while with the other he un
buttoned his redingotc, threw aside the cape,
opened his vestmentS, leaving bare his breast.
Then, without Il tremor, he placed the muzze
of the pistol TO his heart and with his finger
on the trigger stood an instant, but he dared
not complete his impious act, and he threw
the pistol back on the bureau
And then Roger threw himself into q chair
and continued his train of thought, while
Henriette caught Suzlnne as she tainted and
carried her hack into her room, and he heard
nothing. The night passed thus Henriette
did not go to bel Suzgnne lay i'll her cot
but without sleeping, for her eyes remained
wide open until morning, keeping always
their expression OF horror
About o'clock Heiriette dressed herself
and afterward disordered her bed, the pillows
and all, to not awaken Nictoria's suspicious,
and to cause her To believe that she had
slept She must diSsemb:e. She could not
do otherwise She would be Obliged to leave
her room and meet her husband, speak to
him, smile even, that he might not suspect
shat she had witnessed his crime. And even
while dressing Suzanne, she felt a force un-
known, superhuman, which obliged her to go
out on that fatal balcony, and look towards
that little house with green blinds. The win
dows We're still open; there lay the rigid
corpse of Laronett1 iesile the secretary,
which had all the drawers open.
She heard Roger come out of his room,
traverse the parlor and knock at her door 1t
was ended; she nu . meet him. One last kiss
She gave to Suzanne and then opened the
door to her husband, who entered smiling.
He WAS not dressed as he had been the day
before, but i'll black.
Roger Laroque was tall, wore all his beard,
which was jet black and his face was expires
sive and sympathetic, though it indicated
more II man of action than u dreamer. This
morning his face was ashy. pale, his eyes
suuken and his forehead wrinkled, and he
showed traces of an anxiety which he tried in
vain to hide, and though he smiled on his
wife that smile was forced He took her hand
and bent to kiss her, saying i'll his tender and
sweet voice:
"How uneasy you must have felt last night
my dear, but could not help il. had very
important business, which so occupied me
that had no time TO telegraph. But
And here he stopped, surprised. He had
| bent to kiss her forehead and Henriette had
shrunk back with an instructive movement OF
| horror.
what ails youf" said he, apparently hurt
| by her coldness.
| And then for the first he noticed her ex
treme pallor, her troubled men TO receive
& cares from that man, after what she haG
seenl II was more than she could bear. Ye
| she must feign. Nothing" said she; "noth
| ing Why should there be anythingf" AnC
| with her whole soul in revolt she received hi
| cares, which reaSsured him, and he said
gayly:
| Last night when | came in knocked a
| your door, but you We're asleep Only few
| years ago you would have waited later thar
that Who knows if anybody loves me nowr
| And there was that man talking OF love
| And she would always be obliged to listen, x
answerl From what height had she faller
and how completely the fall had shattered
| her heart, her lifel
| "Well,n said he again, what is itf Are yo,
| illi | see You are pale and weary. Why
| don't you look at mei Have | distressat
| you without knowing it, Are you vexed with
| me for having caused your anxiety las
night! Tell me, at least" "
| She must speak. One moment she gathered
her forces to tell him all, to accuse him, t.
banish him forever from her presence Blu
| she could not she dared not 1t was bettel
that he never know that he had had his wifi,
and child for witnesses to his terrible crime
Better never let him know, and thus she woulC
not become his accomplice Her little cir
| stood by. She had told that child that, il
| ever justice should accuse him, You hav,
seen nothing, heard nothing She mus
| now show that child how one must feign
| how lie And so, half fainting with tin
horror of it, she murmured:
| What have you done that | should low
| you no longer. | love you. What have
done that YOU doubt itf'
So great was Rogers preoccupati5a that h
| heard only those words, without noticing tn
emotion. He went to Suzanne, who durin
this scene had been standing beside a chair
and lifting her up in his arms gayly, as Ii
| always did, began to talk to her in his az
| custOmed manner which was to address he